Known in the art is a technique for providing an operational instruction to an appliance such as a TV or an air-conditioner. In JP2011-209965A1, a technique is described whereby an appliance to be operated is recognized based on an image of the appliance taken by a camera, and an operation image for operating the recognized appliance to be operated (hereinafter, referred to simply as the “appliance”) is shown on a display, by use of which a user sends a command to the appliance to be operated.
Before a user located outside a room remotely provides operational instructions to different appliances installed inside the room, s/he may first wish to confirm a situation inside the room. For example, a user may wish to provide an instruction to turn on an air-conditioner or change temperature settings thereof after confirming how much sunlight is coming into a room, or a condition of a pet. By the technique described in JP2011-209965A1, a user located inside a room is able to take an image of an appliance to be controlled, which is installed inside the room, and to operate the appliance; however, a remote user is not able to do so.
An appliance to be controlled may be one of various types of appliances such as an air-conditioner, a TV, and a light, which may be installed in various locations within a room. In a case where the appliances are operated by use of a remote control device installed at a place in a room, an appliance, depending on its location, may be prevented from receiving a remote control signal sent by the remote control device due to furniture or another object placed such that the signal is obstructed. In such a case, remote control devices need to be installed at different locations in the room so that a signal can reach any appliance.
It is an object of the present invention to enable a user to operate remotely plural appliances installed in different locations in a room after confirming a situation relating to each appliance.